On Friday Viking Dad and I came home to find a huge hole and shocker. We were stunned to find that one of our huge shrubs, called a Butterfly Bush, had been cut down and the carefully cultivated mustard had been torn up. In its place were huge tire tracks and orange paint.
I was livid and I felt a huge hole. The Butterfly Bush had been in it's place for over 10 years. It hid the ugly telephone pole, balanced the modern world with nature, gave shelter to multiple birds, small critters, and was home to many generations of butterflies. It was also a huge favorite for our bees. It also gave shelter to our two beehives.
I couldn't wait for Monday to call SDG&E!
SDG&E has been covering their corporate arses since the 2007 Fires, which were caused by poorly maintenance power lines. I feared the worse. Did they come and do " Weed Abatement" and we were going to be charged for this "clean up." The bees! They could have harmed the bees!
I called the main hotline. After a five minute wait I reached an operator who then forwarded me on to SDG&E's "Vegetation Maintenance" division. A What?!
Yup! "Vegetation Maintenance Division. It is their job to go through out the county to help out the crews clear vegetation around their power poles and power sources.
I was actually surprised how cooperative and nice the lady was on the other end. She apologized on how "vague" she was due to the lack information she had on my topic. I left a description of what happened and a call back number half expecting never to hear from anyone again.
About an hour and half later the "district supervisor" called me back. WOW!
The district supervisor explained that they were out by the property to find a service line and conduit that had malfunctioned and to prevent a fire they removed it from the area. She explained that if they had to cut a tree or brush down it was in order to get to the power pole or conduit to remove it.
Then I got another shocker! She actually apologized for cutting down the Butterfly Bush. They had cut it down in order to get to the conduit and remove it. At least this took the shocker and sting of losing the Butterfly Bush.
My strong dislike and barely toleration with the power company was slightly thawed today. I was really pleased how professional courteous the Vegetation Maintenance Division was today.
Do I still want to go off the grid! You bet!
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